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RIDE Magazine | April 2014 1 No matter how you picture the perfect resort-style retreat, you’ll find it just 30 miles from DC at Potomac Shores. Escape to 2,000 rolling acres overlooking a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. DESTINATION Two miles of shoreline. Ten miles of trails. A planned town center. A future Virginia Railway Express for a LIFETIME station. And the relaxed traditions of Tidewater living. Then make a lifetime of wishes come true. Visit The Greeting House Luxury homes now selling from the low $500s 2175 Potomac River Blvd., Potomac Shores, VA 22026 | Toll-free 855.808.6051 | PotomacShores.com Features and products vary by community. Price, offers, financing and availability are subject to change without notice. See a Sales and Marketing Representative for details. 2 RIDE Magazine | April 2014 RIDE Magazine | April 2014 3 FROM THE CEO DOUG ALLEN Chief Executive Officer pring has finally arrived in northern Virginia after a cold winter that, I’m sure you’ll agree, lasted much too long. Spring is a great 9 National Train Day 2013 time at VRE because it beckons our annual “Meet the Manage- S ment” events at our five busiest destination stations. I really enjoy the Meet the Management events because it gives me the opportuni- CONTENTS ty to personally meet you, our customers, and listen to your concerns or RIDE MAGAZINE | APRIL. 2014 suggestions about VRE services. It also gives me the chance to tell you about the plans we have to make VRE even better and highlight recent accomplishments we have made to improve your commute. So, if you get | 04 SYSTEM PLAN 2040 a chance, please introduce yourself to me or other VRE staff members at SYSTEM PLAN 2040 ALIGNS VRE WITH REGIONAL our Meet the Management events. You can find the locations and times TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES of the events on page 4 of this month’s RIDE Magazine. I look forward to seeing you soon. | 05 VRE OPERATIONS BOARD MEMBER MEET JENNIFER MITCHELL | 06 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, DC ALWAYS A WELCOME SIGN OF SPRING IN THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA DOUG ALLEN | 07 SPOTLIGHT ON KEOLIS Chief Executive Officer MEET NATHAN FOOSE Virginia Railway Express | 08 BIKE TO WORK DAY TAKE PART IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY’S BIKE TO WORK DAY ON MAY 16TH BY BIKING TO YOUR VRE STATION | 09 NATIONAL TRAIN DAY JOIN THE FUN ON MAY 10TH AT AMTRAK’S NATIONAL TRAIN DAY | 11 RAIL TIME PUZZLES Cover photograph by MIKE SCHALLER Design by DEIBLER DESIGN RIDE Magazine is a publication of the Virginia Railway Express, 1500 King Street, Suite 202, Alexandria, VA 22314. It has a distribution of approximately 10,000 copies monthly. For comments, stories, suggestions, questions or advertising, please contact Ann King at [email protected]. RIDE Magazine | April 2014 3 VRE UPDATE Washington National Cathedral Flower Mart May 2 & 3 SYSTEM PLAN 2040 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC SYSTEM PLAN 2040 ALIGNS VRE WITH REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES This annual outdoor spring festival sponsored by the Cathedral’s All Hallows Guild features plant sales, floral and horticul- tural displays, boutique booths, tasty foods, music and entertainment, plus fun activities he recently adopted System Plan 2040 aligns the Virginia Railway Express for children. Free admission. Rain or shine. with two key elements of the Regional Transportation Priorities Plan ap- proved by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board The Castaways Repertory Theatre T(TPB) in January 2014. An overarching purpose of the Priorities Plan is Presents: South Pacific to support efforts to incorporate projects and programs that support regional May 2-18 priorities into future updates of the region’s Constrained Long-Range Trans- 15941 Donald Curtis Dr., Woodbridge, VA portation Plan (or CLRP). The Priorities Plan serves as a policy guide to assist local, state, and regional leaders in “thinking regionally and acting locally”—that A Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical based is, in considering regional needs when identifying transportation improvements on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by James Mitchener, “Tales of the South Pacific”. To to advance to implementation. find out performance days and times visit The Priorities Plan identifies the proper maintenance of the region’s existing online at www.castawaystheatre.org. transportation system as its top priority, of which commuter rail is an important part. The plan says that keeping existing transit, roads, and bridges safe and in good work- Great Grapes! Wine, Arts ing order is essential before the region can move on to other improvements. The Pri- & Food Festival orities Plan also calls for expanding capacity on the existing transit systems, including capacity on the region’s railroads, as a way to take greater advantage of infrastructure April 26-27, noon-6 pm that’s already in place. 11900 Market St., Reston, VA System Plan 2040 continues VRE’s ongoing focus on maintaining equipment This year Reston Town Center and facilities in a state of good repair and recommends capital investments and ser- is hosting Northern Virginia’s vice improvements to expand VRE capacity and advance VRE’s role as part of the annual Great Grapes! The festival multimodal regional mobility network. will feature live music on the lawn, over 200 great Virginia wines and over 20 Virginia The System Plan has been submitted to the TPB for inclusion in the 2014 update wineries to enjoy. to the CLRP. The CLRP identifies all the regionally significant road, bridge, tran- sit, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV), bicycle and pedestrian projects that the region’s transportation agencies expect to be able to afford to build or implement by 2040. System Plan 2040 and the complementary MARC Growth and Investment Plan Update join nine other major projects within the National Capital Region proposed for inclusion in the 2014 CLRP update. The projects are due to be approved by the TPB at its meeting on April 16th for inclusion in the federally required air quality conformity assessment, which is required before the TPB considers the entire CLRP, including the new projects, for final approval in October 2014. MEET THE MANAGEMENT The TPB is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) VRE staff will be present with treats and give- for the Washington, DC region, and plays an important role as the regional forum aways to greet all VRE riders on afternoon for transportation planning. The TPB prepares plans and programs that the federal trains and answer any questions—beginning with the first trains going south (excluding the government must approve in order for federal-aid transportation funds to flow to the mid-day trains) and staying until the end of Washington region. evening service. Members of the TPB include representatives of local governments; state trans- portation agencies; the Maryland and Virginia General Assemblies; the Washington APRIL 30 – Union Station Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; and non-voting members from the Metropol- itan Washington Airports Authority and federal agencies. MAY 14 – L’Enfant The TPB’s planning area covers the District of Columbia and surrounding MAY 21 – Crystal City jurisdictions. In Maryland these jurisdictions include Charles, Frederick, Mont- gomery, and Prince George’s Counties, plus the Cities of Bowie, College Park, JUNE 4 – Alexandria Frederick, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt, Rockville, and Takoma Park. In Virginia, the planning area includes Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties JUNE 11 – Franconia-Springfield plus the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. 4 RIDE Magazine | April 2014 RIDE Magazine | April 2014 5 VRE OPERATIONS BOARD MEMBER MEET JENNIFER MITCHELL By Jennifer Buske rowing up in Northern Virginia, Al- the capacity of the rail line itself. exandria resident Jennifer Mitchell “We have enjoyed a long history with got a first-hand look at how trans- VRE and have been a major funding G portation can change lives. partner,” Mitchell said. “We recognize As the Dulles Toll Road was built in they get over 20,000 riders a day and we the 1980’s, Mitchell said she watched want to continue to maintain that part- the once distant suburbs of Washing- nership. We see it as a really important ton D.C. become urban communities alternative to (getting) on the highway.” JENNIFER MITCHELL offering new jobs, housing opportuni- One of the biggest issues VRE cur- VRE OPERATIONS BOARD MEMBER & ties and attractions. rently faces—and something that also DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF RAIL Now, as the new Director of the impacts Metro—is being constrained AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Virginia Department of Rail and Pub- by core capacity. There are choke points lic Transportation, Mitchell works dai- as the public transit lines merge into ly to find ways to improve and expand the city and storage capacity has public transit options that will maxed out, making it hard support Virginia’s rap- to add more rail cars or id growth and allow additional VRE trains, the Commonwealth to Mitchell said. continue to thrive. Mitchell said “We have enjoyed a long “The McAuliffe she would like to history with VRE and have administration is re- see VRE extend ally about economic to Gainesville and been a major funding development and cre- Haymarket—some- “ ating new jobs and I thing commuter-rail partner. We recognize they think transportation is officials have talked critical to that,” Mitch- about for years—and get over 20,000 riders a day ell said. “We are looking for knows the extension into ways to support transportation Spotslyvania, which is under and we want to continue to projects that help support job growth.” way, will be a great addition for VRE. Mitchell, who has spent more than 20 Over the years Mitchell said she maintain that partnership.” years in the transportation field, became would also like to see more mid-day director of DRPT in January.

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